Please click on photo. Even though I didn't polish this it was very hard to photograph because of the shine issues.
I found some copyright free black and white designs and took them and had them photo etched on Magnesium plates. I cut those apart to roll print them onto copper.
You can think of roll printing in metal almost the same as what you do with polymer clay using a pasta machine. The rollers for doing the same in a metal shop are heavier and made of iron. The crank is very long with a handle to turn the rollers. I basically make a metal sandwich, then adjust the rollers and then crank through the copper or sterling silver against the etched Magnesium plate. Now I have the design (in reverse) on the metal.
I thought this might be a better solution than the rubber stamp etching for miniature use (see post below). The trouble is, after one or two rolls the Magnesium Plate is too distorted to use again. Still I like the results. So I am going to be exploring it further to make some fancy copperware or silver pieces in miniature.
